Continuous wire-drawing apparatus



Feb. 27, 1934. C JOHNSON 1,948,664

CONTINUOUS WIRE DRAWING APPARATUS Filed May 4. 1932 l nvenTov.

' Chofles DJohnson E byzfimdwkm Patented Feb; 27, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Claims.

This invention relates to a continuous wiredrawing apparatus and has for its object to provide a novel apparatus which is relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture and by means 6 of which wire can be continuously drawn by the dry-drawing process.

In accordance with the invention I provide a drawing drum unit which is provided with a p1u rality of drum or wire-receiving sections and a 10 drawing die for each drum section as usual in continuous wire-drawing apparatus, and I also provide means associated with each drum section to apply a dry lubricant to the wire as it is being wound on the drum section. This dry lubricant ll is of such a character that a suillcient quantity of it will adhere to the portion of the wire passing from one drum section to the next drawing die toproperly lubricate the wire as it passes through the die. The dry lubricant also provides sufilcient lubrication between each drum section and the wire which is wound thereon so that if slippage occurs the wire will not scratch or groove the drum section.

In order to give an understanding of the invention I have illustrated in the drawing a selected embodiment thereof which will now be described after which the novel features will be pointed out in the appended claims.

Fig. 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic view illustrating a wire-drawing machine embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-.2, Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view of the die holder;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4, Fig. 2.

The machine herein illustrated comprism. drum unit 1- which is provided with a plurality of drum or wire-receiving sections 2 together with a drawing die 3 for each drum section.

As usual in continuous wire-drawing apparatus the wire passes through the first die and then is wound a sufiicient number of times around one drum section to provide necessary traction to draw the wire through the die and then passes to and through the second die and then is wound a suiflcient number of times around the second drum section to provide the necessary traction for drawing the wire through the second dieand then passes to and through the third die and a sufiicient number of times around the third drum section to provide the necessary traction for drawing the wire through the third die and so on.

These drum sections 2 are co-axially arranged and are rigid with and preferably integral with each other so that they rotate as a unit. As

herein shown these drum sections are secured to and rotated by a driving shaft 4. p

The drum sections will be of different diameter, the first or lower drum section having the smallest diameter and the other drum sections having a progressively increasing diameter to compensate for the lengthening. of the wire caused by the successive drawing operations.

The dies 3 are herein shown as supported in a die-holding block 5 and the latter is retained B in position by a supporting bracket 6.

7 indicate direction pulleys, one of which is interposed between each drum section and the die member to which the wire is led from the drum section, the wire thus passing from each drum section around a direction pulley 7 and thence to one of the dies. These direction pulleys '7 are preferably yieldingly supported. Each pulley is shown as mounted in a pulley block 8 having a stem 9 which extends through an upright or bracket 10. The projecting end of the stem is provided with a collar 11 and a spring 12 is interposed between the collar and the upright 10, such springs providing a yielding mounting for the direction pulleys 7.

In dry drawing of wire it is customary to apply to the wire a dry lubricant, such for instance as a combination of lime and soap, before the wire passes through the die, such lubricant serving to furnish the necessary lubrication to prevent injury either to the die or wire.

One feature of the present invention relates to a novel means for thus applying the dry lubricant to the wire in a continuous wire-drawing operation. I

To thus provide the necessary lubrication to the wire I provide means associated with each drum section 2 to apply the dry lubricant to the wire as it is wound on said section. The application of the lubricant in this way accomplishes two purposes. In the first place it provides the wire with suflicient lubrication so thatwhen it leaves the drum section and passes to the next drawing die it will be sufficiently lubricated for the drawing operation. In the second place it furnishes lubrication between the turns of wire which are wound on any drum section and the surface of such drum section so that in case of any slippage between the wire and the drum section the drum section will not be grooved or scored by the wire.

In the construction herein shown each drum section 2 of the drum unit is provided with a dry lubricant holding means in the form of a periph- 2 eral flange l3 situated beneath the wire-receiving surface of the drum section, said flange preferably having its edge turned upwardly slightly thereby producing a sort of dish shape. A quantity of dry lubricant 14, which may be a mixture of lime and soap, or any other suitable lubricant, is placed on each of the flanges 13 and means are provided which are rendered operative by the rotation of the drum unit to continuously apply the lubricant 14 on any flange 13 to the wire just before it contacts with the corresponding drum section as it is being wound thereon and also to the surface of said drum section onto which the wire is about to be wound. There is thus continually provided a lubricant between the wire and the drum section on which it is being wound which provides a sufficient lubrication between the turns 15 of wire and the surface of the drum section to prevent said surface from being injured or scratched by the wire should any slippage occur. A sufficient quantity of the lubricant thus applied to the wire will be retained thereby as it passes from said drum section to the next drawing die to provide proper lubricant at said die.

This end is accomplished by means of a plow or deflector element 16 which is in the form of a blade (there being one such blade for each flange 13) which rests on the flange and is yieldingly pressed toward the drum section and is situ-.

ated so that as the flange rotates the lubricant 14 carried thereby will be brought against the plow or blade and will pile up in front of the plow as shown at 17. This pile or mass of dry lubricant 17 accumulates adjacent the point on the drum section at which the wire first comes in contact with the drum section as it is wound thereon. Such mass orpile 1'7 of dry lubricant thus spills or flows over or enolosesthe portion 41 of the wire which is about to be wound on the drum and fills in the space between the wire and the surface of the drum at this point as seen best in Figs. 2 and 4. The wire thus passes through a massof dry lubricant just before it comes in contact with the drum and the mass of lubricant is applied to the surface of the drum just before the wire contacts therewith so that both the wire and the drum are lubricated before they come in contact. There will thus be provided a sufficient lubricant between each drum section and the wire wound thereon to prevent the wire from scratching or injuring the surface of the drum section in case there is slippa e between the wire and the drum. Moreover, a sufficient amount of this lubricant will adhere to the portion 18 of the wire which extends between any drum section and the next die to form proper lubrication for the wire as it passes through the die.

Any suitable means of mounting the plows 16 so that they may function as above described may be employed. As herein shown each plow has a stem 19 which is pivotally mounted on a post 20 and each stem 19 is acted on by a spring 21 which urges the plow inwardly or toward the drum section 2.

The drum is provided at its upper end with a wire-storing section 22 on which the bundle 23 of wire accumulates after the completion of the continuous wire-drawing operation.

I have herein shown means for water cooling the dies. The die-holding block 5 is provided with a water chamber 24 and with two pipe connections 25, 26 through which water or other cooling medium may be delivered to and taken from the water chamber 24.

I claim.

1. A continuous wire-drawing apparatus having, in combination, a drawing drum unit provided. with a plurality of drum sections around which the wire to be drawn passes successively, a drawing die for each drum section, dry lubricant holding means mounted on each drum section, and means to cause the dry lubricant carried by each holding means to be applied directly to the wire-receiving surface of the corresponding drum section as the latter rotates.

2. A continuous wire-drawing apparatus having, in combination, a drawing drum unit comprising a series of coaxial drawing drum sections rigid with each other, each section having a lubricant-carrying flange associated therewith, a drawing die for each drum section and through which the wire passes in its travel from one drum section to the next, and means associated with each flange to apply the lubricant carried thereon to the surface of the drum section and to the wire being wound thereon.

3. A continuous wire-drawing apparatus having, in combination, a drawing drum unit comprising a series of coaxial drawing drum sections rigid with each other, each section having a lubricant-carrying flange associated therewith, a drawing die for each drum section and through which the wire passes in its travel from one drum section to the next, and a plow element associated with each flange to deflect the dry lubricant being carried by the flange against the wire that is wound thereon.

4. A continuous wire-drawing apparatus having, in combination, a drawing drum unit provided with a plurality of drum sections around which the wire to be drawn passes successively, each drum section having a flange for receiving dry lubricant, a drawing die for each drum section, and means associated with each drum section to apply the dry lubricant on its flange simultaneously and continuously to the wire just before it is wound on the drum section and to the portion of the drum section on which the wire is about to be wound.

5. A continuous wire-drawing apparatus having, in combination, a plurality of drawing drum members around which the wire to be drawn passes successively, a drawing die for each drawing drum member, and means to apply dry lubricant simultaneously to the wire-receiving surface of each drum member and to the wire after it passes through each die but just before it is wound on the corresponding drum member.

6. A continuous wire-drawing apparatus having a drawing drum unit provided with a plurality of drum sections around which the wire to be drawn passes successively, each drum section having means for holding a dry lubricant, a drawing die for each drum section, and means rendered operative by the rotation of the drawing drum unit to cause the dry lubricant carried by each lubricant-holding means to be applied continuously to the wire-receiving surface of the corresponding drum section.

7. A continuous wire-drawing apparatus having, in combination, a drawing drum unit provided with a plurality of drum sections around which the wire to be drawn passes successively, a drawing die for each drum section, a dry-lubricant holding element for each drum section, and means rendered operative by the rotation of the drum unit to apply simultaneously to the wirereceiving surface of any drum section and to the wire as it is being wound thereon the dry lubrielement for directing the dry lubricant carried by the flange against the wire as it is wound on the drum during the rotation of the latter.

9. A wire-drawing apparatus having a drawing die, a rotary drawing drum having a wire-receiving surface and also having a dry-lubricant containing flange below said surface, and a sta- .tionarily mounted plow acting on the dry lubricant contained on said flange as the drum rotates, and deflecting said lubricant againstthe wire-receiving surface of the drum.

10. A wire-drawing apparatus having a drawing die, a rotary drawing drum having a wirereceiving surface and also having a dry-lubricant containing flange below said surface, and a stationarily mounted plow actingon the dry lubricant contained on said flange as the drum rotates and deflecting said lubricant against the wire-receiving surface of the drum and the wire as it is wound thereon. v

- CHAS. D. JOHNSON. 

